Outboard motor



Oct. 9, 1928.

O. EVINRU DE OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed Jan. 1926 mm Mm N R EP 0 v WW T I (A w Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

1,686,803 PATENT OFFICE.

OLE EVINRUDE, OF MILWAUKEE, COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE,

WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T ELTO OUTBOARD MOTOR WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

OUTBOARD MOTOR.

Application filed January 2, 1926. Serial No 75,745.

This invention relates to improvements in outboard motors, and more particularly to means for preventing fouling of the propeller.

It is common practice to provide a bracket for attaching an outboard motor to the stern of a boat for pivotal movement with respect thereto, the purpose being to eliminate unnecessary and undue strain upon the bracket 10 when the submerged end of the motor strikes bottom, such as occurs in beaching, by permitting the motor to tilt with respect to the boat. Although this manner of attaching the motor to the stern of the boat has served its purposewell, it has been found that when the lower and submerged end of the motor strikes bottom, sand and small stones pile up at this point and tend to accumulate between the propeller blades and the transmission housing which supports the propeller, the result being that gravel and small stones frequently become jammed in between one of the propeller blades and the housing and either stall'the motor or break one-of the partsvproviding the driving connection between the latter and the propeller. For the purpose of eliminating this trouble, it has been proposed to connect the propeller to the drive shaft therefor through a suitable slip clutch so constructed and arranged that should a small stone or the like become jammed in between one of the propeller blades and the housing to lock the propeller against rotation, the clutch slips to permit continued operation of the motor without causing undue strain upon the parts, the clutch being adapted, however, to cause rotation of the propeller with the drive shaft under normal conditions. While this construction has eliminated the breakage of parts due to the fouling of the propeller, it has not eliminated the piling up and accumulation of gravel and small stones around the propeller blades and the lower end of the housing adjacent thereto, and necessitates dislodgment of the stones before it is possible to proceed further, and also provides a chance for the keen edge of the propeller blades being damaged by contacting' with the stone or other obstruction while rotating at a high rate. Another means which has been in use for some time to prevent undue strain upon the parts upon fouling of the propeller has been to connect the propeller to the drive shaft therefor through a small pin designed to shear through should the propeller become fouled or locked against movement. The use of these shear pins has protected the motor and transmission from undue strain upon fouling of the propeller, but, together with the slip clutch referred to above, has not protected the keen edges of-the propeller blades from possible damage due to engagement therewith of a small stone or the like. \Vhe'n one of these pins shears through, furthermore, the same must be replaced by a new one'before it is possible to proceed further.

One of the objects of the present inven tion, therefore, is to provide an outboard motor with improved means for preventing the accumulation of gravel and small stones or the like between the propeller blades and housing when the lower end of the latter strikes bottom, the improved means acting to protect the edges of the propeller blades from damage due to contact therewith of stones or the like, and being of simple construction and adapted for application to outboard motors now in extensive use with very little additional expense.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention an embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view, showing the manner in which the improved means acts to prevent accumulation of gravel and small stones bet-ween the propeller and housin gF therefor a ig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, taken from Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

The outboard motor comprises, in general,

.the motor 1, propeller 2, rudder 3, housing 4 for supporting and containing the transmission connecting the propeller to the motor for operation thereby, and a suitable bracket 5 for attaching the motor to the stern of the boat for tilting movement with respect thereto. The housing 4 is provided at the lower end thereof below the propeller with a shoe 6 comprising a fiat, horizontal portion 7 and 1 an upwardly extending portion 8 arranged slightly forward of the propeller and merging with portion 7 and tapering toward the housing, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the horizontal and upwardly extending portions 7 1 and 8 extending from either side of the housmg.

The lower end of rudder 3 is pivotally connected in the usual manner to the adjacent lower end of the housing by means of a pin 9 which is held in position by a locking pin 10.

The manner of operation of shoe 6 in preventing fouling of the propeller is as follows: In running up on the beach or in shallow water, the upwardly extending portion 8 of shoe 6 strikes bottom first, and causes tilting movement of the housing 4 with respect to the boat tothe dotted-line position shown in Fig. 1, this portion of the shoe presenting a comparatively flat face to the sand and gravel to spread the latter out and away from the lower end of the housing in such manner that the sand and gravel is prevented from piling up and accumulating at the point 11 between the propeller blades and the adjacent lower end of the housing. The horizontal portion 7 of the shoe 6 merges with the upwardly extending portion 8 and comes into play to cause tilting of the housing 4 when the rise or slope of the bottom is even and comparatively gradual, the horizontal portion 7 permitting free movement of the motor through the water and acting in no way to constitute a drag. In the drawings, shoe 6 has been shown as being formed or cast in tegrally with housing 4, but of course the shoe may be made as a separate part and secured to the housing in any suitable manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that improved means have been provided to prevent fouling of the propeller in the manner explained and which is permitted in devices used heretofore, that the improved means protects the propeller blades from damage due to contact therewith of stones or the like, and that improved means of the character referred to have been provided which are simple in construction and which maybe readily applied to outboard motors with little additional expense.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, but of course various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. An outboard motor comprising a bracket adapted for attachment to a boat, a motor and housing assembly mounted on said bracket for tilting movement, saidhousing being vertically disposed normally, a propeller adjacent the lower end of the housing, means entirely contained within the housing for supporting the propeller and for driving the same from the motor, and a shoe rigid with the lower end of the housing and arranged below the propeller and having a broad bottom engaging surface of relatively great area operable to cause tilting movement of said housing upon continued forward movement of the boat after any portion of the shoe strikes bottom and to prevent accumulation of matter between the said propeller and the adjacent portion of the housing.

2. An outboard motor including a housing, a propeller positioned rearwardly of the housing at the lower end thereof and mounted thereon, the lower end of the housing extending down beyond the propeller, means within the housing for driving the propeller and a shoe rigid with the lower end of the housing and made up of a flat horizontal plate of relatively great area and an upwardly and forwardly extending portion ocated in advance of the propeller and merging into the housing and presenting a protective surface of relatively broad area, the horizontal plate and the upwardly and forwardlyextending portion of the shoe being designed to provide a support for the housing and propeller upon both sloping and flat beaches and bottoms of gravel, or the like, and preventing gravel or the like from accumulating between the propeller and its housing.

In witness whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

OLE EVINRUDE. 

